Turmeric Prevents One of The Most Malignant Cancers In The World

Turmeric Prevents One of The Most Malignant Cancers In The World



Powdered turmeric has been used for centuries to
treat a host of illnesses. Its active ingredient, curcumin, inhibits
inflammatory reactions, has anti-diabetic effects,
reduces cholesterol among other powerful health effects. A new study
led by a research team at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat (LMU) in
Munich now shows that it can also inhibit formation of metastases.


One of the most
comprehensive summaries of a review of 700 turmeric studies
to date was published by the respected ethnobotanist
James A. Duke, Phd. He showed that turmeric
appears to outperform
many pharmaceuticals in its effects against
several chronic, debilitating diseases, and does so with virtually no adverse side effects.

Cancer is no exception.
Prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent
malignancies in the Western world, and is often diagnosed only after
metastatic tumors have formed in other organs. In three percent of
cases, these metastases are lethal. A research team led by PD Dr.
Beatrice Bachmeier at LMU Munich has been studying the mode of action
of a natural product that inhibits the formation of metastases. The
compound is found in turmeric, a plant that has been used for
medicinal purposes for thousands of years, and is a major ingredient
of curry.

Duke noted that in the handbook Phytochemicals: Mechanisms of Action,
curcumin and/or turmeric were effective in
animal models in prevention and/or treatment of
colon cancer, mammary cancer, prostate cancer,
murine hepato-carcinogenesis (liver cancer in
rats), esophageal cancer, and oral cancer.

Bachmeier's research centers on curcumin, the
polyphenol responsible for the characteristic color of curry. Curcumin
is well tolerated and is therefore, in principle, suitable both for
prophylactic use (primary prevention) and also for the suppression of
metastases in cases where an established tumor is already present
(secondary prevention). In a previous study Bachmeier and her
colleagues had demonstrated that the substance reduces statistically
significantly the formation of lung metastases in an animal model of
advanced breast cancer.

Mitigating metastasis The new study was designed
to investigate the efficacy of curcumin in the prevention of prostate
cancer metastases, and to determine the agent's mechanism of action.
The researchers first examined the molecular processes that are
abnormally regulated in prostate carcinoma cells. Breast and prostate
cancers are often associated with latent or chronic inflammatory
reactions, and in both cases, the tumor cells were found to produce
pro-inflammatory immunomodulators including the cytokines CXCL1 und
CXCL2.

The researchers went on to show that curcumin
specifically decreases the expression of these two proteins, and in a
mouse model, this effect correlated with a decline in the incidence of
metastases. "Due to the action of curcumin, the tumor cells
synthesize smaller amounts of cytokines that promote metastasis," says
Bachmeier. "As a consequence, the frequency of metastasis formation
in the lungs is significantly reduced, in animals with breast cancer,
as we showed previously, or carcinoma of the prostate, as demonstrated
in our new study."

Curcumin and chemoprevention Bachmeier therefore
believes that curcumin may be useful in the prevention of breast and
prostate cancers -- which are both linked to inflammation -- and in
reducing their metastatic potential. "This does not mean that the
compound should be seen as a replacement for conventional therapies.
However, it could play a positive role in primary prevention -- before
a full-blown tumor arises -- or help to avert formation of
metastases. In this context the fact that the substance is well
tolerated is very important, because one can safely recommend it to
individuals who have an increased tumor risk."

A daily intake of up to 8g of curcumin is
regarded as safe, and its anti-inflammatory properties have long been
exploited in traditional oriental medicine. Men with benign
hyperplasia of the prostate (BHP) are one possible target group for
prophylaxis, as are women who have a family history of breast cancer.
The agent might also be valuable as a supplement to certain cancer
therapies. At all events, curcumin's beneficial effects must first be
confirmed in controlled clinical tests. Bachmeier is now planning such
a trial in patients who suffer from therapy-resistant carcinoma of
the prostate.




Source:-
http://preventdisease.com/news/12/101412_Turmeric-Prevents-One-of-The-Most-Malignant-Cancers-In-The-World.shtml